Right to reply…

I received the following from Vodafone this evening. In fairness, I’m popping it on here in full as it does answer all my complaints. It’s amazing what you can get from someone if you whinge loudly and forcefully enough – it’s a shame it has to come to this, though.

Note that this is still not as ideal a situation as I was given initially. I have to switch to PAYG before I fly out (the SIM needs to be activated in the UK), and I have to make one chargeable call every 60 days at least to keep the number/SIM active. So I have to switch the phone on while abroad (*kerching*) or leave it with someone here and ask them to make a call every 2 months. If I take it with me, can I “charge” it with credit while in Thailand or Vietnam?

Time for another reply. But in fairness, my complaints have been addressed…

Queries Regarding Your Account.

Good Evening Mosh,

Thanks for your e-mail, I’m sorry you feel you have received poor customer service from Vodafone, Vodafone prides itself on high levels of customer service, I have passed your comments onto the relevant department to help improve our training scheme.

Having looked into your account I can see the following details:

* There is a discount applied on your account which will apply until the contract end, for free text messages.

* I can see no current request on your account to transfer to Pay As You Talk, if you wish to transfer to Pay As You Talk please confirm this.

* I apologise that it was not made clear to you at the time of upgrade that you where entering into a 18 month commitment period.

* As a gesture of goodwill I have changed your commitment period to 12 months, your current shortfall fee now stands at Â£61.21

* We are able to transfer you to Pay As You Talk with immediate effect if you require this.

* If you choose to switch to Pay As You Talk a chargeable call will need to be made every 60 days to keep the number active, the SIM will also need to be made active whilst you are still in the UK.

If you would like to talk further about this issue my office number is 08000 680126.

Hope This Helps,

Steph Houghton

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10 thoughts on “Right to reply…”

You trully are a consumer hero. It’s amazing how many times things go wrong, and people say, well thats just how it is. This proves if you complain loud enough, things will happen. Funnily enough, I’m on an 18 month contract with Vodafone (Tho’ I did agree to 18 months). I wanted to upgrade the phone, which if bought on a new contract was free. Vodafone wanted to charge Â£175 for the upgrade, plus renewing my 12 month contract. So I decided to move to Orange, found a similar deal, with an equivelent phone. I phoned Vodafone to cancel my contract. Lo and Behold, If I renew for 18months rather than 12, I suddenly got the phone for free!!!!

Customer retention is *massively* important to these companies. You can get similar deals on your mortgage if you find something better and threaten to leave to get it.

Essentially, I’d boiled my issue down to “I pay you Â£61 and stay as a customer, or you charge me Â£171, I close my bank account, fuck off abroad, don’t pay you a penny, and go to 02 when I come home”. Over a barrel, really.

They must be desperate to keep customer numbers up, I tried to cancel my contract after expiry of the stautory 12 months, they make it cumbersome as you have to do it in writing by pigeon post, so they then say if we give it you for free will you keep the contract for 12 months, yep I certainly will so long as it’s not costing me. I’m happy I haven’t got to post them a letter, they are happy and their numbers are boosted by phones connected but not in use!

Barmy, innit. Well, I’m still in two minds about paying Â£61 plus some PAYT funding to retain a number I may well have forgotten in umpteen months. On the other hand, it saves you lazy bastards updating your phones.